200 Ways to Invader ZiM
by Yami-sama42
Summary: Drabbles about Invader ZiM based on the 200 Themes Challenge. Variety of genres, ZiM, GIR, and Dib are main characters. Most drabbles are short. Order is RANDOM. Current: 83. Falling, 107. Rainbow, 62. Frost
1. 197 Help

**Hello you wonderful Earth creatures! I thank you for clicking on this!**

**So. Now that you're here, you want to read something, yes?**

**Well, good.**

**What you are about to read is something that I've written after reading a prompt. This prompt, and many others, make up what's called "the 200 Themes Challenge". It is a list of 200 words and short phrases that range from "Echoes" to "Magic" to "Failure" to "1 plus 4 equals 6". I decided to take this Challenge on almost a year ago, and since then, I've written merely thirteen of these to date. So, for the last… long time, I've been falling behind. But I have an excuse ((dodges bricks)). I decided to do this Challenge entirely in the Invader ZiM universe, so my lack of writing these has come from my lack of attention to the series. **

**I'll be posting more than one of these a day (if they're written, so it's a big HOPEFULLY…) because of the sheer amount of these, so expect frequent updates. These will all range in a wide variety of genres, and the main characters will almost always be Zim, GIR, and Dib, but depending on the prompt, all, some, or none of them will be in it. Some prompts require you to think about who they might be, so that's something, too. **

**But, anyway, here's the first of two and half that were written a while back. All of the others were recently written and finished. The order will be completely random, because if I were to do this in order, they would never get finished or posted.**

**I apologize for the extremely long note, but it's a onetime thing. Now; I hope you enjoy this collection of drabbles!**

_Please Note: If at any time you read a story you want to be expanded, just drop me a line, and I'll see what I can do! _

Disclaimer: Invader ZiM belongs to Jhonen Vasquez.

**197. Help**

It was dark and he was fading fast. But what did it matter? Everything he knew was a lie, and everything he ever hoped for was too far out of reach. They'd told him this would happen as they set the self destruct mechanism into motion. They said that if he ran again this would happen. But now that he only had minutes left, he started to wonder if it was all worth it. If running away the first time was the best idea. A small part of him agreed and he clung to it with all his might. Alas, a larger and more dominant part of him _screamed_ about how stupid he was and how ridiculous it was to hold onto the idea. So, as he ran and the fire exploded around him, he had to very slightly pause and ask himself if it was worth it; if he was truly right to run, or even to think his impossible but comforting ideas. He'd thought for so long that he was just and correct in his thinking that he had instantly believed it himself. Self preservation, he called it. To protect himself from the truth he didn't have the courage to face. But now, as he lay there, expelling his last breaths, he managed to squeeze out one last word, one last cry, one last plea to an empty and quiet world; he closed his eyes and said… "Help…" No one was around to hear. No one was around to care.

**Please review.**


	2. 45 Perfection

**As promised, here's the second prompt that I have written. I hope you enjoy it.**

_Very ZiM-esq, this one is…_

**45. Perfection**

He was perfect, just like he always said. He knew it and made sure that everyone else knew it.

But was it true?

Was he really the absolutely perfect and superior being he proclaimed and knew himself to be? Maybe- and then again, maybe he wasn't.

He tried – truly _tried_ – to make himself stop believing it; to see the truth behind the lies he always told himself. But no matter how much he knew it deep down to be false, his mind kept trying to tell him he was right, was always right, had always _been_ right, and will always _be_ right.

He was perfect; the prime of all others, the future leader, and the one that would come out on top no matter what.

Then one day, they broke his perfect picture of perfection.

They broke him down with just words; only three words, five syllables, but he broke. But they didn't just break him. They utterly destroyed him – told him again and again how useless he was, how awful he was; they told him the truth that he kept from himself for so long, the truth he didn't want to believe.

As shattered as he was, he picked himself back up, placed a scowl on his face and assured himself of his absolute perfection; he was perfect, nothing but perfect, always perfect, the perfect picture of perfection.

When did perfection slip into insanity? When did his mind start to go? When did his perfection, his delusion, his perfect image of who he believed he was start to unravel at the seams, pull away so quickly, leave a broken shell behind – his mind start to fall apart? Well, insanity was fine, absolutely fine; incredibly perfect as he was he was amazingly perfect.

"You are defective." "No, I am perfection."

**Please review.**


	3. 1 Complicated

**Sorry for making you wait so long, people. I meant to update on Wednesday, but I felt miserably tired and never got around to it. I ALSO meant to update yesterday, but I had to go with my mom to something for her work, so I have to update today. To be nice, I'll even give you a third, free drabble instead of two. (I might even post a fourth later on.)**

**So. This drabble is exactly 100 words long – trust me: I counted. I thought it'd be neat. It's… not really as hard as I thought it'd be.**

**So. Stopping now; the notes are longer than the drabble. ((dies))**

_Sometimes things are just too hard to explain._

**1. Complicated**

"What's so important about a stupid mission that it's worth dying for, you moronic space-boy? !" Dib shouted, his eyes wet, hands fisted at his sides.

"It's very… complicated. A foolish earth child like you wouldn't understand the complexities," Zim replied, his own magenta orbs dimming.

"Then HELP ME understand, Zim! Please! You just can't do this, you CAN'T!" the boy was overcome by his emotions as he burst into wracking sobs. "Why are you doing this! ?"

"I'm sorry, Dib-hu- …Dib. I have to. It's just…"

"Complicated," Dib choked out.

"Complicated," Zim nodded. He closed his eyes. "Goodbye, Dib."

**I have a poll up on my profile, so maybe you should check that out. ((stupid smile))**

**Please review.**


	4. 168 Weakness

**This one started as a spur of the moment type thing, so there's no explanation as to the situation. Please do not ask me to explain it, as I have no idea what's going on, either.**

_This is one of those kinds of stories that eventually turn out to be like a character study…_

**168. Weakness**

"Ha! Pathetic hyuman and your pitiful _emotions_. Yes another reason the Irken race is superior to you pig-smellies! There is no room for such trivial things in the MIGHTY IRKEN EMPIRE!" Zim shouted, his lips curled into a cruel smile, his magenta orbs practically glowing with hatred under his pale lavender-colored contacts.

Dib squinted through his tears, glaring down his nose at the tiny green alien. "You just don't get it, Zim. Emotions aren't a weakness; they're a strength." His voice cracked and his breath hitched. "You don't get it…" He murmured again.

Zim scoffed, his eyes narrowed. "A _strength_, filth-beast?"

"Yes, _Zim_, a strength. You'll never get to know the warm of love or the firey passion that you feel when you need to fix something you've done. All you ever feel is hate and anger! Vengeance and violence isn't EVERYTHING, Zim! You _need_ emotions, just like everyone else! We need emotions to keep us sane, to keep us rooted; to remind us that our time is limited and we have to do everything that life has to offer us before it's too late! You don't know love, or contentment, or hope! Or maybe, somewhere deep down inside, you _do_, and you're just afraid to admit it; either to yourself or anyone else for that matter." Dib paused in his rant, staring his rival down. "I know you have a heart in you _somewhere_; a soul that cares. You just have to let it _out_!"

Zim trembled slightly from the raw – dare he say it? – _emotion_ he felt resonating from the other. It was just a bit more than he could handle. Bowing his head a little, he forced himself to relax. "You don't understand, you miserable excuse for a human," the Irken hissed, his own feelings struggling to be made known. "On Irk, emotions are the sign of a defective, and as such, a sign of weakness. You don't get what it's like to be an Irken with feelings that extend outside undying loyalty to the empire. You just don't get it."

Dib blinked his surprise, the salty rivets of water streaming down his face the only indication he was upset. "Zim, wha-…?"

Zim glared at the ground as he whipped around to leave. "Irkens don't have emotions." He paused, lifting his head a little. "I do not have emotions…" he trailed off, lowering his voice as if in conspiracy, "…at least inside the control of the empire." Regaining a fraction of his strength, he growled. "I'm not a defective- I'M NOT!" he defended quickly, eyes smoldering, antennae pressed flat against his head under his wig'. "I have no weakness." He stormed off.

**I've ended a bunch if these drabbles with ZiM leaving… I don't know why… **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little ficlet. (By the way, I love stories that hint at how miserable ZiM probably is – by way of his emotions, the way his own people hate him, his defectiveness, and I'm a strong believer that his obnoxious attitude is the result of self preservation: a defense mechanism he's set up so that he doesn't let anything break him down **_**too**_** far. Just my opinions.)**

**Whatever. I'm ranting. Please review.**


	5. 119 Stars

**This one was started a long time ago (as well as the first two drabbles) and so there might be a smile skip in the flow somewhere near the beginning where the old meets the newer. But I'm extremely proud of this one, and it's really awesome. (It's Ashley's favorite.)**

**I hope you enjoy it, too.**

_Aren't they just beautiful…? _

**119. Stars**

The small creature watched the stars as they glittered and danced across the sky. Bright eyes shone as the pin points of light that littered the sky twinkled in their brilliance and mystery. To one who has been to the dark depths of space, the stars shouldn't look as magnificent as they did.

And to a member of the Irken race, sitting and watching the stars was extremely uncommon and usually branded you for life.

Zim sighed, arms crossed behind his head. After the year and a half he'd spent on this strange backwards planet, he should have figured the outlandish traditions would rub off on him. He was so wrapped up in his own mind, he barely noticed as another figure, one slightly taller and pale in skin, join him on the rooftop.

"Zim? What are you doing here?" Dib asked as he settled down.

The Irken blinked before schooling his features into a scowl. "Dib-beast… I should be asking _you_ the same question! Why are you here?" he almost shouted back.

"I'm looking at the stars. It's something I like to do. It's _normal_. Unlike you," the boy shot back, nose raised up.

The Invader growled at the human but couldn't find the words to reply. So, he settled on moving a few feet in the opposite direction and raising his sights back to sky; Zim was making it a point to ignore Dib and pretend as if he wasn't sitting there.

Said boy expected a snappy remark in reply and almost frowned when he received none.

Scooting closer by a few inches, the human raised a brow and tilted his head. "Are you okay there, Zim?"

Zim stiffened, his antennae standing on end. Forcing them back in a show of aggression, he glowered, contempt written across his features. "Zim is fine, you incorrigible stink-beast," he listlessly sneered.

Dib blinked in confusion, noting the odd tone. Decided not to press further, he shrugged and turned to face the sky, lying down on his back in a more comfortable position. A tense silence fell over the two, one in content contemplation, the other in anxious irritation.

Giving a sigh that melded into a sigh, Zim looked at the stars, eyes narrowing and his brow furrowing in thought. Closing his magenta orbs, he shook his head. "I don't get it…" he murmured in a weird stroke of out-of-character-ness. Dib opened his mouth to comment, but a fierce glare from the other quickly silenced him. "What I don't get is… How can you just sit here and stare up into the cosmos; how can one just do nothing but look into the sky, at the stars, and think about everything and nothing at once while at the same time losing himself to the world around him?"

The human blinked, sitting up. "That was… oddly poetic, Zim… But," he began as the Irken's face darkened and he prepared to get up and leave, "I guess… the stars offer an escape; they allow us to believe that there's something bigger than us out there. The stars let us forget who we are, imagine new possibilities, forget responsibilities, and just… be ourselves. Nothing else matter… the stars don't care who you are, what you've done, how you think; they offer respite from everything."

"But, human, stars are nothing but giant floating masses of plasma and hydrogen. How can they do any of that?" Zim asked in morbid wonder, his large eyes seeming larger as they absorbed this new information.

"I guess it's because, Zim," Dib started as he looked into the deep pools of crimson set into viridian, "we can't touch the stars. The stars don't speak. They don't jeer, or taunt, or criticize. They don't judge. They don't tell you that you can't, they don't ignore you, they don't _care._ I guess…" he trailed off, looking thoughtful, the green one beside him watching in rapt curiosity, "I guess it's because the stars accept you for the person you are. No matter whom you are." He faced the sky again, staring at Zim through the corner of his eye. "Or what you are." Giving a small grin at the smaller's immediate surprised reaction, he lay back down.

A few moments passed quietly before Zim finally shifted, curling up into himself slightly. Hiding his own slight smile, the Irken whispered to himself, "I think… that maybe this isn't such a dumb human ritual after all." His gaze flitted back to Dib before returning upward. "Acceptance… I guess that's all anyone really ever wants…"

Dib nodded to himself. Zim blinked before bowing his head a miniscule amount. "I really must thank you, Dib." The boy started at the strangely affectionate tone and lack of insults. "You probably just gave me something that I guess I've always wanted, all without realizing. Zim is… grateful. Zim thinks this makes him… happy." He closed his eyes with a smile, his head tilted towards Dib. "Zim thinks… maybe he won't destroy you after all. You might just turn out to be useful." The boy tried not to laugh as the alien positioned himself to face the earthanoid. "Now. Tell Zim about the planets around this one. _Tell Ziiim._"

This time, Dib _did_ laugh. "Alright then, Zim. Well, you already know a bit about Mars and Mercury, and then there's Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, except Pluto's not really a planet anymore because the scientists decided that it wasn't after it'd already been established that it was for years, and if they don't think it's a planet now, why did they think it was a planet then, is the question that I've always wondered…"

Zim hid his smile as the human began to rant about his solar system. Looking at the sky again, at the stars, he smirked. _'I think I've found my new hobby…'_

**If I'm not mistaken, this is the first ZiM and Dib friendship drabble. You like?**

**Has anyone noticed that the prompt name always appears in the last line of the story? **

**Totally intentional… Now, anyway. I'd done it, and not noticed, and when I did, I made it a recurring theme. ((smiles))**

**Please review.**


	6. 138 No Way Out

**This one was based around that wonderful little quote GIR tells Dib. This might be GIR's first appearance, too. So that's cool. Don't ask what's going on here, people. I have no idea. It just looks awesome.**

_I was thinking about developing a full story around this. What do you all think?_

**138. No Way Out**

Dib ran through the dark halls, and finally stumbling, he fell over, foot caught under a wire. The dim lighting did nothing but heighten his panic, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. Breathing heavily, he scrambled into a dark corner, honey eyes wide and searching in panic.

"Hi, big head!"

Dib screamed like a girl, jumped three feet into the air, and grabbed at his chest in shock. GIR stood there beside him, blinking his eyes and tilting his head. "Wha'choo doin'?" the little android asked, his shrill voice echoing slightly around him like a beacon of disaster.

"Shh! GIR, I'm trying to hide. If I'm found, I'll be killed!" Dib crouched closer to the ground so that he was eye level with the small robot. "Don't you understand? I'm running for my life!"

The dysfunctional SIR unit blinked a few more times before he glanced all around, his voice dropping down to a dramatic sage whisper. "'You can damn the doomed, but you can't doom the damned', Dibby," GIR told him before grinning wildly again, singing the Doom Song to himself.

The human blinked a few times at the strangely philosophical saying before he gathered his wits again and tapped on GIR's head. "Where did you hear that? Who said it?"

The android stopped singing and giggled. "Master used to say it allllll the time before he…" GIR then giggled again and started to dance, his attention once again diverted.

Dib shuddered, and then looked around again. This tunnel seemed to go on forever, an endless amount of tunnels branching off to either side. "This is soooo not good…"

GIR giggled again and nodded. "I guess there's noooo waaaay oooout, Dibbers." He burst into insane laughter, falling over with tears springing into his eyes. All of a sudden he gasped, jumping up, all humor lost. "My pig! Where's my pig!_?_ SQUIRREL!" and with that, GIR disappeared at a high speed, going back the way Dib had come.

The human felt weak kneed. Falling over onto his side, the words echoed in his mind until he finally blacked out. _'I guess there's no way out…No way out…'_

**This one has a bit of a creepy overtone. **

**Oh. And don't ask what happened with/to ZiM. I have no idea.**

**Please review. **


	7. 83 Falling

**So. I apologize once again for not getting a single drabble out earlier than now, but I've been sick all week (not bad, but enough to disorient my whole schedule) and so I've not been on my A-game. Anyway, I'm posting these today because I just got back from camping, and so I've decided to post these now because a) it's the middle of the day, b) I remembered and c) I need to study for my AP world history essays for tomorrow, and I'll probably put my computer in the other room so that I'm not distracted. So, here're three of the themes. (It's only three because the one after these isn't finished (but started, and the ones after it are done) so I need to finish it before it can be posted. I start some of these drabbled based on the pictures my journalism teacher shows us for our "warm up" (**_**see 'bellwork')**_** to get us started, and so some of them aren't complete yet.) So, enjoy.**

_This one turned out to be an homage to __Alice's Adventures in Wonderland__ (which I read over the summer – a junior classics edition), and Ashley said it was awesome._

**83. Falling**

He was falling. Falling down, down, down the rabbit hole, falling deeper and deeper into the state of self awareness he hadn't before realized he'd had. All of it had been leading up to this, this falling of immeasurable eternity. The shelves were bare, the nails broken, the pictures blank. No smiling faces, or warm reassurances, no up, up, up; just down, down, down, past the empty barren shelves, the cold shoulders, the broken nails, the scathing remarks, the blank pictures, the lack of attention. He fell and fell and fell some more, his rabbit hole seeming to reach through the middle of the planet. He lost himself, and found himself, forgot himself, and remembered again. His marmalade jar was just as empty and blank as the vacant shelves and the unfilled pictures. The broken nails stretched out to him, clawed at him, dragged at him, their sharp edges never able to scratch as deep as their words.

So as he fell down, down, down his rabbit hole, never able to find a way up, up, up, the barren shelves, the broken nails, the blank pictures, the cold shoulders, the scathing remarks, the lack of attention, losing himself, finding himself, forgetting himself, remembering himself, the empty marmalade jar, he thought that maybe, maybe, maybe, if he escaped this eternal torture of his own personal Wonderland, hell, dream, that even if he found a way up, up, up instead of down, down, down, he would never stop falling, falling, falling.

**Kinda creepy. Now; who's falling: ZiM, Dib, or both?**

**Please review.**


	8. 107 Rainbow

**This one was fun. I actually looked up rainbows on Wikipedia to see what has been said about them in old stories and stuff, so that was fun.**

"_Got places to go, gotta follow my rainbow!" ~'Escape from the City', Ted Poley and Tony Harnell, Sonic Adventure 2_

**107. Rainbow**

He froze, eyes wide, mouth agape, stock still as he took in the sight before him. It'd been raining all day, so he'd taken two paste rinses (the reason why he was almost late today), and now that it had finally stopped, all that was left was enormous puddles of the acid water. Zim's eyes were stuck on the one other thing that was left behind by the rain; a large, arch-shaped band of colors. He blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes, hoping they weren't deceiving him. Alas, as he finally focused his vision again, it was still there.

"What… What is this…?" Zim gaped at the sky before turning to the nearest human and shouting, "WHAT IS THAT! ? TELL ZIIIIIM!"

"Zim, you intergalactic moron, it's a rainbow. Jeez, you're dumber than advertised," Dib interjected, coming behind the smaller alien.

Whipping around, the Irken narrowed his eyes. "Rain…bow?"

Dib pulled a face. "Don't even tell me… You have no idea what that is, do you?"

"You will share with Zim your knowledge, stink-beast, or suffer my wrath," Zim hissed at him, pointing a claw in his face.

Dib rolled his eyes behind his glasses. "Your 'wrath' doesn't scare me; I live with Gaz," he told his rival, crossing his arms. Zim faltered, but said nothing. Heaving a sigh, Dib let his arms fall to his side. "A rainbow is what's formed after a storm, or in the presence of finely misted water. Here's how it works," Dib continued, seeing the question written on Zim's face. "Sunlight comes down from the sky, and when it hits the water vapor that's in the air, it shines through it, refracting into the spectrum of colors that form white light. It's extremely simple to duplicate with a flashlight and a prism."

Zim nodded slowly, one thin claw tapping his chin in thought. "I see…" He blinked. "And that's all it is? All it does?"

"Yep. Pretty much. Sometimes, more than one shows up. That makes it a 'double rainbow'. I've also seen a 'triple rainbow' once. There were three of them nearly on top of one another." Dib grinned, walking a bit closer to Zim. "Rainbows are often the source of symbolism and mythological fantasies."

"Intriguing. Tell Zim one of these 'myths'," the small Irken demanded, continuing on now that he had someone to give him answers.

Dib stumbled a bit (causing Zim to hide his snickers (poorly)), and tried to remember what he'd once been told. "Well, let's see here… let me think… AHA! I got it!" He grinned. "One story that I read about was about rainbows were the bride between this world and the world that the gods of a certain religion lived in. I also saw a myth somewhere that said that rainbows were benevolent, whilst a similar one said that they granted goodwill. There's another old story about leprechauns leaving pots of gold at the end of a rainbow for any weary traveler down on his or her luck. 'But if your heart is filled with greed, you cannot find the prize you seek', was the phrase- er, something like that; I can't remember."

"Weary travelers? Greed?" Zim was confused.

"I don't know; I don't get it either. But it's impossible to find the end of a rainbow. They're basically an optical illusion." He blinked down at Zim when the little green one did not respond and picked up his pace until he was almost running. "Hey! Where are you going! ?"

Zim slowed to a stop and gave a look that showed a glimpse at his true emotions. Dib thought he could vaguely recognize hurt and pain. "I'm going to find the end of the rainbow."

"You do know that's impossible, right?" Dib shouted to him, thinking him crazy for trying.

"Not the one in the sky, you insolent fool-boy!" Zim hissed in sudden irritation. "I mean the one at the end of the story. I'm going to find the end of the rainbow at the end of this storm." He turned and left.

**See? He's leaving again. AAAAAAND he's angry. But that's not uncommon. What do you think he means by "the rainbow at the end of this storm"? And just WHAT is ZiM thinking? The world may never know.**

**Please review.**


	9. 62 Frost

**Detaaaaaaaails~ Started because I saw a picture of a snow covered tree. Pretty nice huh?**

_ZiM does not like cold weather. _

**62. Frost**

He shivered, pulling his coat around himself, his hat pulled down around his eyes, his lack of ears and nose working to his advantage. His hood was circling his head in a soft, warm ring of fuzz. Shivering again, his teeth rattling painfully together, he growled. "Stupid, filthy dirt-planet with its frozen ACID WATER!" Zim spat in contempt. Pausing for a moment, he checked on the cover placed on his PAK while hefting his bag of groceries higher on his shoulder. Nodding in satisfaction, he continued on, head bowed, until suddenly, he ran into somebody. "Move," he hissed, the cold temperature shortening his already bad temper.

"No," the stranger chirped with a smirk on his voice.

"Stupid human, I SAID-" Zim started raising his head, cut himself off at the sight of Dib standing in front of him, arms crossed over his chest, a grin playing on his features. Zim frowned. "Move," repeated, his voice showing he wasn't in the mood for games.

"_No_," Dib said again, smiling. He had at least four inches over Zim, something that he loved, and he rubbed it in the alien's face every chance he got.

Zim sighed and made to step around his rival, but the human would have none of it. The boy blocked every moment made by the Irken. Finally, Zim glared and crossed his arms, protecting his bag and keeping in his heat. "What do you want, pig-smelly?" he sneered.

"Oh, nothing, Zim. What are you doing all the way out here and so far away from your base? Are you plotting something _evil_?" Dib prodded, poking Zim in the head with one hand while snaking the other around to grab at his bag. "What'cha got there, spaceboy? Weapons? Supplies? Nuclear chemicals?"

"Stop it," Zim hissed in irritation. What I have been doing is none of your concern." The Irken tried once again to move around his nemesis, but he had to stop as his parcel was suddenly ripped away from him. "Give that back, Dib-moron!"

Dib ignored him and pushed his hands into the bag, pulling some things out and pushing other things aside. What he found was nothing threatening; in fact, it was all nonviolent, harmless, and innocent. The bag contained flour, sugar, balloons, a stuffed monkey doll, and two plain, unsigned cards. In the very bottom of the bag was a small pack of thin markers, a box of candles, some matches, and rolls of confetti. Dib dropped the bag on the ground. "What's all that stuff for?" he sneered in a derogative manner.

Zim growled, his anger building, emotions fogging up his mind and vision. Stooping over to grab onto his treasure, he snarled, "If you _must_ know, they're party favors. My Smeeting Day has once again rolled around and shall start to take place within the next day or so. GIR learned of this and practically forced me into letting him throw me a '_birthday party_'." He hissed the last part. He bowed his head a little. "An Irken's Smeting Day only takes place once every ten human years, as one Irken year is the equivalent of ten Earthen years. We have 3650 days per solar cycle as opposed to 365.25. So this means in Earth years, I will be 160, the Irken correspondent to being sixteen. GIR also decided that HE wanted to have a 'party' as well, so we're going to share the time." Zim looked like he was in physical pain from all the information he was practically handing out. "Now _**move**_."

Dib had to bite his lip to keep from laughing and/or shouting in excitement as this new data he'd learned (couldn't figure out which one it was). Struggling to keep the mirth out of his voice, he uttered, "So you're having a birthday party with just you and your robots? No one else?" He didn't manage to stop a few snickers from escaping.

At the sound of Dib laughing, Zim turned livid. "How **DARE** you laugh at me! HOW DARE YOU! What is _**wrong**_ with you! ? Do you ENJOY the misfortune of others! ? Are you _**happy**_ that I practically told you that this is the first time I've ever celebrated my birthday-! ?" Zim froze, his eyes wide, incomprehensible emotion filtering behind them. He closed up, drawing into himself and then almost ran away from the human.

Dib had frozen as well, all amusement gone from his being as he stumbled after his rival. "Zim…" He grabbed onto the smaller's arm. "Zim, what did you mean by that?"

Zim did not look at him, but merely murmured, "Even the deadest of souls and the emptiest of eyes can understand the frost of a cold shoulder and a scathing expression." He broke free and absconded away.

**Dib's a jerk. Especially to ZiM. 'Nough said. The time thing I set up here USED to be based on sevens instead of tens, but then I looked back on it, and I decided I didn't like the 7:1 ration. Now it's 10:1 and matches up a little bit easier. Plus, it gives me a little more time to work with for future things. (**_**See Real Space Science**_**). ((Shameless plugingggggg…)) But anyway.**

**There's a poll on my profile! (I say again…) Please go vote! You get to pick up to three choices, so there's a bit of freedom in it. Please vote to show me that people read this. I don't regularly check my stats, so I don't know if people read my stories unless they review. Please please PLEASE review! It makes my day when people leave a nice comment about something that I've written (usually because I mostly think my stuff is crap). So if you've taken the time to read these, please spend an extra minute or two to leave a little piece of encouragement. (I'll need it within the next two days because of this stupid AP test. It's stressing me out!)**

**So please review and let me know that there are people out there who are interested in what I like to write about.**


End file.
